Engine-stopping device.



L. WILT. ENGINE STOPPING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1914.

hlfihfl fio Patented Mar.9, 1915.

WITNESSES: 0% 1w INVENTOR "HE NORRIS PETERS C0, PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. C.

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LORENZO W ILT, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ENGINE-STOPPING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. Q, 1215..

Application filed September 25, 1914. Serial No. 863,443.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LORENZO WILT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Stopping Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for shutting OK or stopping a steam engine without shutting off the steam, this being accomplished from any suitable point, it being possible to electrically release the device so that it can be operated from a point in a plant, which point is distant from the engine.

This device can be used in the absence or incapacity of the engineer and also in case the machinery driven by the engine is to be stopped because of an accident or for a similar reason.

The invention is designed to release the valve mechanism from being operated by the eccentric rod, so that the operation of the valves to admit steam to the cylinder is halted and the engine consequently stops.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch which is easily and quickly placed in locked position and which is also easily tripped, this tripping being usually done by an electric device.

The invention is applicable to a number of different types of engines, but in order to illustrate the invention I have made the drawing so as to show the device attached to what is known as a Pittsburg engine, and also embraces similar types in which the valve operating mechanism is connected to the eccentric rod by an attachment to connect them together, which attachment can be manually operated so as to disconnect the valve operating mechanism from the eccen tric rod. The invention is illustrated as applied to this kind of engine and it is adapted to operate the releasing means between the eccentric rod and the'valve operating mechanism.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in Which Figure 1 illustrates my improved releasing device, showing a portion of an engine, this portion embodying the rock shafts of the valve and the end of the eccentric rod, with means for connecting and disconnecting them. Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top viewof the releasing device. Fig. i is an enlarged section on line 4-4: in Fig. 3. F ig. 5 is a face View of an improved form of latch, and Fig. 6 is an end view of the latch with the casing thereof shown in section.

Enough of the engine is illustrated in these drawings to make it plain how the device is operated, the rock shafts 10 of the valves being provided with arms 11 which are connected by a connecting rod 12 so that they swing in unison, and the valves at each end of the cylinder are operated together. Adjacent to the arms 11 and pivotally connected with one of them, as at 13, is an eccentric rod 1 2, or the equivalent of an eccentric rod, that is, a rod operated from the eccentric rod. Means for connecting and disconnecting the eccentric rod to and from the arms 11 is provided, this being usually done by means of a collar 15 having thereon a locking lever 16 which is in the form of a handle and is pivoted at 17 to the collar, and its inner end is adapted to engage the cocentric rod 14: to lock the collar to the rod. A second handle 18 is pivoted as at 19 to the collar 15 and is, in a sense, a primary fastening or connecting means between the collar and the eccentric rod, as it is used in starting the engine to clasp the collar to the eccentric rod, the handle 16 being operated substantially to make the fastening more secure. The fastening means on the inside of the handles 16 and 18 are not illustrated, since they are well known in the art and have nothing to do with this invention. The handles 16 and 18 are shown in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2 in their locked position. Suitably sup ported adj acent to these handles is a releasing device, the form of support shown in the drawing consisting of uprights 20 which act to support side strips 21 and 22 at each side so as to form a guide-way 23 between them. into which guide-way is arranged a slide 2st. Attached to the slide is a cross arm 25 and a similar arm26 is secured to the support or guide-way, the ends of these arms being turned over to form leaves 27 which act as terminals or fastening means for the springs 28, these springs beingadjustable by means of the nuts 29 on the bolts 30, which bolts pass through the leaves 2'?" and can be adjusted by means of the nuts to vary the tension of the spring. It will thus be seen that the tendency of the springs is to pull the slide along the guide-way or support. Projecting from the slide is a cam, this usually consisting of an upright part 31 with a hook-shaped end 32, the cam surface 33 of Which is arranged so that when it is slid, the handle 18 is in its path, the cam surface being so disposed that it raises the handle 18 when it engages it, as will be evident. Adjacent to the cam is an abutment 34 which is placed so that when it is slid the abutment has the handle 16, in its path. The device is so placed that when the slide with its operating mechanisms, as the cam and the abutment, is slid back and locked in position, it is removed far enough from the collar and its handle so as to not operate the handles when the eccentric rod reciprocates. A latch is used to hold the slide in its locked position and to release it when it is deemed necessary to do so, the preferred form of latch being shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6, the latch being mounted in the support at a suitable point, in the drawing it being mounted on a cross-bar 35, the casing 36 inclosing the latch;

Mounted in the casing are the shafts 37 and rotating on said shafts are gears and V pinions, the upper shaft having a pinion 38 thereon which is adapted to mesh with a short rack 39 arranged ,on the bottom side of the slide. The pinions are in mesh with the gears 40, the gear at the end of the train opposite the pinion 38being provided with a disk 41 having a slot 42 therein. A spring finger 43 is placed in a'ebracket 44 and is adapted to project within the slot 42 by a spring 45, the lower end of the finger 43 being connected by a pivotal connection 46 with the armature 47 which is adapted to be operated by suitable magnets 48, the armature being preferably pivoted at 49 so that it'can be swung toward and from the magnets, being attracted to the magnets by an electric current and being pulled away from the magnets by means of the spring 45 which abuts on the collar 50 on the finger 43, and which abuts, at its other end, on the lower part of the bracket 44.

The magnet can be arranged in any kind of'a circuit that is adapted for the purpose, butin the drawing it is connected by wires 51 and 52 to suitable operating means. In the form shown the wire 51 extends to one pole 53 of a switch, the wire 52 being connected to one end of a battery 54, and the Wire 55 is used to connect the battery 54 with the pole 56 of a switch 57. The switch can be placed at a suitable pointand is adapted for use in emergencies, such as in the case of accidents, and can also be used to shut down the engine from distant points therefrom, as will be evident. V

'The operation of the device is as follows: When the latch is released, either by manual operation or by the use of the electric circuit as above described, the finger is pulled from the disk 41 and the springs 28 pull the slide along the guide-way so that the cam 33 raises the handle 18 and the abutment 34 swings the handle 16 so that the collar, which is permanently connected with one of the arms 11, is disconnected from the eccentric rod 14 and any further movement of the eccentric rod has no influence over the arms 11, and the inlet valves of the engine cylinder are thus no longer operating and the steam is shut off from the cylinder and the engine stops. The abutment is so placed that when it swings the handle 16 it is held in its position by the springs 28 and the handle 16 cannot be swung around to its locking position unless the slide is pushed back out of the way. In order to start the engine it is necessary to push the slide back against the yielding means, such as the springs 28, and the rack 39 comes in engagement with the pinion 38. The armature 47 and consequently the finger 43 are pulled down, either by hand or by means of the electric circuit, so as to permit the free rotation of the pinion 38 and the gears 40 until the slide is in its normal position, that is, the position where it is locked in place, and then the latch is released and the finger 43 snaps into the slot 42 and the slide is again held against the influence of the springs 28.

When the engine is to be started the socketed end 58 of one of the arms 11 is used for the insertion of a bar or handle by means of which the arms 11 can be rocked so as to establish the operation of the piston. After it is started the handle 18 is pushed down to grasp the piston rod 14 and after it is engaged, the handle 16 1s swung so as to positively lock the collar 15 on the eccentric rod.

The device is easily operated and is simple in its construction, having no intricate parts to get out of order, and at the same time is positive in its operation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An engine-stopping device comprising a guide-way, a slide on the guide-way, a cam on the slide, yielding means to force the slide along the guide-way, and a latch to hold the slide against the influence of the spring.

2. An engine-stopping device comprising a guide-way, a slide, a cam on the slide, an abutment on the slide beneath and to one side of the cam, means for forcing the slide in onedirection, and a latch to hold and release the slide.

8. An engine-stopping device comprising a guide-way, a slide, springs connecting the guide-way and the slide, a cam on the top of the slide, an abutment on the slide beneath and to one side of the cam, and a latch to hold and release the slide.

4. An engine-stopping device comprising a guide-way, a slide on the guide-way, the guide-way and slide having projecting arms, springs connecting the arms, a cam projecting upward from the slide, an abutment on the slide, a rack on the slide, a pinion engaging the rack, and means for locking and releasing the pinion.

5. An engine-stopping device comprising a guide-way consisting of separated side strips, a slide movable between said strips, a spring to move the slide in one direction, a cam secured to the slide and at a material distance above the slide, an abutment below and to one side of the slide, a rack on said slide, a pinion in mesh with the rack, and means for holding and releasing the pinion.

6. The combination of an engine-stopping device comprising a guide-way, a slide on said guide-way, a cam on said slide, means for moving the slide, a latch for holding and releasing the slide, with an eccentric rod of an engine, and a release handle on said eccentric rod and in the path of the cam.

7. An engine-stopping device comprising a slide, means for moving the slide, a rack on the slide, a pinion in the path of the rack, a gear train connected with the pinion, a

stop for said gear train, and means for with drawing the stop.

8. An engine-stopping device comprising a slide, means for moving the slide, a rack on the slide, a pinion in the path of the rack, a gear train connected with the pinion,

a stop on said gear train, a spring for forcing the stop to its locking position, and means for withdrawing the stop.

9. The combination of a valve operating device of an engine, an eccentric rod, and means for connecting and disconnecting the eccentric rod and the valve operating means, with a slidable releasing mechanism arranged so that the connecting device of the eccentric rod and the valve operating means are in its path of travel, means for moving said releasing mechanism, and a manually operated latch to hold and release the releasing mechanism.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I hereunto set my hand, this 23rd day of September, 1914.

LORENZO WILT. Witnesses:

WM. H. CAMFIELD, M. A. J OHNSON.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

